A little piece that came to mind regarding a particular moment in Inyme's stop-start development....
***
Inyme wasn't quite sure why she was helping these two. Kheldian hybrids they might be, but they were too weak to be of any threat to her mission. In fact, hanging about such aliens that might recognize her powers' similarity to that of the "invaders" would be dangerous....yet for some reason, she couldn't help following them about.
The mission was simple enough. Weapons sales to the Skulls that they'd been sent to intercept. A typical mission until she'd opened the crate, revealing advanced quantum radiation weapons designed to destabilize the energy structure of Kheldians. She looked up, mentioning the contents as they went on. Before long, more crates of the deadly weapons were revealed.
Lightbinder seemed vaguely ill at the concept, but Nightbinder seemed outright horrified. "What are all these doing here?"
"The Council must be flooding the market," Lightbinder said. "The more of these..."
"The better chance more of you are dead and not going to interfere with their Nictus masters," Inyme said. She tried to sound knowledgeable, but truth be told, she'd just pulled that info out of the Council leader at the last base they'd attacked.
"Why?" Nightbinder asked, and Inyme wondered if the petulant tone was unique to the youth of this species. "We never did anything to them! Why do they want us dead?!"
That stopped Inyme dead as a part of her mind raced back in years....
****
Inyme curled against her mother, basking in the gentle waves of comfort and acknowledgment that she could feel from her progenitor. She had so few cares now, and why should she? She was just a child.
She heard the noise. The dull thump and crackling of energy. She didn't see the portal outside, didn't see the small number of figures that'd entered their world unannounced. She felt the curiosity and surprise of other Rikti, but that was meaningless to her. She was with her mother, and all was right with the world.
Then came the explosion.
Later, she would learn it was at the hand of the hero called Positron. Later, she would see the recordings of the one named Statesman callously ordering the strike. Later, she would see the thought-engrams of survivors that saw the others hunting what Rikti had made it through the blast alive among the ruins. Now, all she saw was a brilliant green light as her perfect world was shattered by a hundred thousand minds crying out at once and suddenly being silenced.
She remembered waking up from where she'd fallen unconcious. Of thought-speaking for her mother, seeking her comforting presence to make the pain in her body and mind go away. Of finding her. Gone. Another casualty of the attack that ruined the lives of so many.
She remembered Hro'Dtohz, the brilliant young general and his second in command, U'kon Grai. She remembered the Rikti turning to him to find a solution to this horrible attack. She remembered his impassioned speech that the Lineage of War needed to be returned to what it was supposed to be to prevent another attack, and to bring justice to those that had silenced the unique voices of so many of their kin.
She remembered the first war, young, angry, and wanting to fight, but still too young. She remembered endless training to become a combat Mentalist, preparing for the final push. She remembered the counter invasion where the great portal to the invaders' homeworld was shut, and the deaths and defeats of those who'd snuck through and used blasphemous magic to do it.
She remembered...
****
"...Inyme? Inyme!" Lightbinder said, snapping her out of it. She realized she'd drifted off for a second. She noticed Nightbinder still looking at the weapons with fear, and Inyme felt herself need to speak.
"Sometimes...you've done nothing. All it takes is for them to see you as a threat. Then anything goes. Anything to prevent you from hurting them by hurting you first. It's not right. It makes no sense....but some just have to think that way. All you can do is become strong...strong enough to resist. To protect that which they want to take from you. Strong enough to fight," she said, getting a slightly more resolved look from the young Warshade in return and an admiring one from Lightbinder.
"Come....these are nothing. Let's show them how strong you are."
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."
***
Inyme wasn't quite sure why she was helping these two. Kheldian hybrids they might be, but they were too weak to be of any threat to her mission. In fact, hanging about such aliens that might recognize her powers' similarity to that of the "invaders" would be dangerous....yet for some reason, she couldn't help following them about.
The mission was simple enough. Weapons sales to the Skulls that they'd been sent to intercept. A typical mission until she'd opened the crate, revealing advanced quantum radiation weapons designed to destabilize the energy structure of Kheldians. She looked up, mentioning the contents as they went on. Before long, more crates of the deadly weapons were revealed.
Lightbinder seemed vaguely ill at the concept, but Nightbinder seemed outright horrified. "What are all these doing here?"
"The Council must be flooding the market," Lightbinder said. "The more of these..."
"The better chance more of you are dead and not going to interfere with their Nictus masters," Inyme said. She tried to sound knowledgeable, but truth be told, she'd just pulled that info out of the Council leader at the last base they'd attacked.
"Why?" Nightbinder asked, and Inyme wondered if the petulant tone was unique to the youth of this species. "We never did anything to them! Why do they want us dead?!"
That stopped Inyme dead as a part of her mind raced back in years....
****
Inyme curled against her mother, basking in the gentle waves of comfort and acknowledgment that she could feel from her progenitor. She had so few cares now, and why should she? She was just a child.
She heard the noise. The dull thump and crackling of energy. She didn't see the portal outside, didn't see the small number of figures that'd entered their world unannounced. She felt the curiosity and surprise of other Rikti, but that was meaningless to her. She was with her mother, and all was right with the world.
Then came the explosion.
Later, she would learn it was at the hand of the hero called Positron. Later, she would see the recordings of the one named Statesman callously ordering the strike. Later, she would see the thought-engrams of survivors that saw the others hunting what Rikti had made it through the blast alive among the ruins. Now, all she saw was a brilliant green light as her perfect world was shattered by a hundred thousand minds crying out at once and suddenly being silenced.
She remembered waking up from where she'd fallen unconcious. Of thought-speaking for her mother, seeking her comforting presence to make the pain in her body and mind go away. Of finding her. Gone. Another casualty of the attack that ruined the lives of so many.
She remembered Hro'Dtohz, the brilliant young general and his second in command, U'kon Grai. She remembered the Rikti turning to him to find a solution to this horrible attack. She remembered his impassioned speech that the Lineage of War needed to be returned to what it was supposed to be to prevent another attack, and to bring justice to those that had silenced the unique voices of so many of their kin.
She remembered the first war, young, angry, and wanting to fight, but still too young. She remembered endless training to become a combat Mentalist, preparing for the final push. She remembered the counter invasion where the great portal to the invaders' homeworld was shut, and the deaths and defeats of those who'd snuck through and used blasphemous magic to do it.
She remembered...
****
"...Inyme? Inyme!" Lightbinder said, snapping her out of it. She realized she'd drifted off for a second. She noticed Nightbinder still looking at the weapons with fear, and Inyme felt herself need to speak.
"Sometimes...you've done nothing. All it takes is for them to see you as a threat. Then anything goes. Anything to prevent you from hurting them by hurting you first. It's not right. It makes no sense....but some just have to think that way. All you can do is become strong...strong enough to resist. To protect that which they want to take from you. Strong enough to fight," she said, getting a slightly more resolved look from the young Warshade in return and an admiring one from Lightbinder.
"Come....these are nothing. Let's show them how strong you are."
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."